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If the weather behaves later this week, you have an opportunity for a sky show at a reasonable hour. One of the best meteor showers of the year – the Geminid meteor shower -- will peak Thursday night, Dec. 13, 2018.

Meteors, sometimes misleadingly called “shooting stars,” are streaks of light caused by cosmic debris interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. Typically, this debris has been left by a comet. In the case of the Geminids, the source is an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon.

Have you been noticing a very bright point of light in the western sky after sunset? It’s Venus. (Unless it’s noticeably moving, in which case it’s probably an airplane.)

If you haven’t seen Venus yet, try going outside in evening twilight and looking toward the same direction that the Sun set. As long as clouds, trees, or buildings don’t block your view, you’ll see Venus. This planet is very bright, noticeably brighter than any star in the night sky. But don’t mistake it for bright Jupiter, which lies in the southeast at nightfall.

North Carolina hosts the biggest* statewide star party for the public in the entire universe—and you’re invited!

The 6th annual NC Statewide Star Party happens on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, 2018. Thirty-seven hosts across the state, from the mountains to the coast, will offer skywatching events for the public on April 20 or 21. These hosts include astronomy clubs, parks, libraries, nature centers, and universities.

My all-time favorite show to present is Carolina Skies: Valentine edition. In this live, storytelling-focused planetarium show for adults, you’ll discover a few of the love stories from around the world that are playing out in the sky each night.

Not only do these stories provide an excellent excuse for learning to identify stars and constellations, they offer intriguing life lessons. Bring a date or a friend or just yourself, and find out:

(From left: White, McDivitt, Jenzano, Borman, and Lovell in Astronaut Training at Morehead Planetarium, in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Image Collection Collection #P0004, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)

This week offers you an opportunity for a sky show at a reasonable hour. One of the best meteor showers of the year – the Geminid meteor shower -- is underway and will peak Wednesday night, Dec. 13, 2017.